Safety-latch for elevator-doors.



FC. 0. MARX. SAFETY LATCH FOR ELEVATOR DOORS.

APPLICATION FILED MAR- 24, I915.

Patented Jan. 4, 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1- WITNESSES 0M2 A "ORA/E78 C. O. MARX.

SAFETY LATCH FOR ELEVATOR DOORS.

APPLICATION FILED MAR 24, 1915.

I Patented Jan. 4, 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2- nwmroa (azrizs 0 Name? A rromvtrq AT NT o we CHARLESo. MAR-X, or NEW YORK, n. Y., ASSIGNOR or oNE-nALr'ro BERNARDSPI'IZFADEN, or BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

SAFETY-LATCH FOR nnnvnronsnoons.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jana, 1916.

Application filed March 24, 1915. Serial No. 16,631.

To all to hom it may concern Be it known that I, CHA Lns O. MARX, acitizen of the United States, and a resident of New York city, East NewYork, borough of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York,have invented a new and Improved Safety-Latch for Elevator- Doors, ofwhich the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to. safety means for use in connection withelevator doors, to maintain the same latched except when the elevatorcar is at the landing to the door of which the attachment is applied.

The invention has particular reference 'to latch means arranged to betripped by the car to permit the door to bemanually opened or closed bythe elevator attendant andto cause the automatic latching'of the door atthe interior as the car starts away from the landingin either direction.4

The legal requirements regarding elevav tors, in many cases placerestrictions as to the clearance space between the landing and the frontof the car, and otherwise restrict freedom of construction andoperation, and my invention has primarily in view to provide anautomatically controlled door latch which may be readily andconveniently applied to the elevator structure, in a manner to conformto the legal requirements, regardless of variations in the particularelevator. The invention also has for itsobject to provide a latch havingtrip meansso constructed and arranged as to be readily. accommodated ataside of the elevatorstructure, where space is available withouttransgressing the legal rulesas to front clearance. The invention alsohas for its objectto provide latch means of the indicated characs ter,improved in various particulars, to the end that efliciency in operationmay be promoted, as well as economy of manufacture, convenience inefiecting the assemblage of the parts, and simplicity of adjustment andcontrol.

Reference is to be had to the accompany I in engagement with the rack.

' position and latched; Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2, but with thelatch disengaged and the elevatordoor in the open position; Fig. 1 1san'en'd view of my improved attachment applied; Fig. 5 is an enlargedtransverse vertical section on the line 55 of Fig. l; and

Figs. 6, 7 and 8 are perspective views showing'various elements of thelatch and its trip arm. a V

I In. carrymg out/my invention in accordance with the illustratedexample, it is unv d'erstood that the elevator well A may be of anyapproved construction, as also the manually slid'able door B, and thatany approved construction of elevator car G may be employed. Applied tothe door B transversely thereof at the inner side is an elongated rack10 rigidly secured in any suitable manner, as by screws 11, whereby therack 10 will move with the door B. An elongated latch bar 12 is formedbetween its ends with a pivoted hub .13 having a vertical throughbore13*. provided forpivotally securing the latch bar in position. One armof the latch bar'is the longer and terminates in a forwardly dis-' posedpawl 14 adapted to engage the rack 10. The other arm designatedgenerally. by the numeral 15 is under the influence of a spring 16 orany equivalent means tending to so rock the latch 12 as to maintain thepawl 14 The arm 15 constitutes a trip arm to be engaged by the car C, itbeing provided with a trip element 17 hereinaftermore particularlyreferred to. In order to provide that the latch and the tripelementsshall in no way trench on the clearance space between the front of thecarC and the front wallfof the elevator well A, thelatch bar 12 rangessubstantially parallel withthe rack 10-transversely of the well adjacentto the frontwall, while-the trip elements are so formed and arrangedasto beaccommodated at a side of an elevator car C between the space.for the latter and the adjacent side wall (not shown) of the elevatorwell. Furthermore, provision is made for longitudinally and rearwardlyextending the trip arm l5, and its appurtenances in order to have. thetrippmg member 17 conform ,to the special conditions obtaining withregard to the construction and air r'angement of a particular car andelevator well; I

To the ends mentioned, the arm- 14 in Means hereinafter described arecludes a separate member 19 presenting a longitudinal arm and arearwardly extending arm at approximately right angles to each other.The longitudinal arm 19 is adjustable longitudinally, being providedwith a longitudinal slot 20 through which extend the bolts or pins 21that pass also through the rigid portion of the arm 15. and receive nuts22. Mating teeth 23, 23 are produced on the opposed faces of the member19 and the rigid member of the arm 15 to firmly hold the said member 19in adjusted position. Similarly, the rearwardly extending arm 19* of theangular member 19 is formed with a lon itudinal slot 2% and bolts orpins 25 provided with nuts 25 to extend through said slot 24 and througha horizontal arm 26. The opposed faces of the arm 26 and the lateral armof the angular element 19 are provided with mating teeth 27, 27 so thatthe nuts, and bolts 25, 25 will serve to firmly secure the arm 26 inadjusted position. The arm 26 at its outer end has a depending member28, the lower end of which is returned parallel with and in the samegeneral direction as the long arm of the latch 12, the said returnedmember terminating in a fork 29 receiving the trip member 17, whichpreferably is a roller. Thus the returned offset member 29 and its tripor contact element 17 may be properly positioned for the said member 17to extend into the path of a co-acting trip member 18 on the car 0. Saidmember 18 presents a vertically curved cam surface, so that in thevertical travel. of the car C the roller 17 will be tripped and movedlaterally and will thus serve to rock the latch 12 to disengage the pawl14 from the door rack 10.

The arrangement is such that the latch will be tripped by the elevatorcar as the latter reaches the landing. On the other hand, as the carleaves the landing and the member 18 thereof leaves the member 17 on thetrip arm 15, the spring 16 will immediately throw the latch to positionfor the pawl 14: to engage the rack 10. Thus, should the elevatorattendant close the door in a manner to cause the door to recoilslightly, the pawllt will nevertheless engage the rack 10 and hold thedoor against being further opened.

It is important to provide for readily mounting the latch 12 in positionon the elevator structure and in a way to permit repairs to be made withfacility and promptness, and to this end the bore 13 of the latch hub 13receives a stud 30, the intermediate portion of which is unthreaded andfits the said bore. The upper end 31 and the lower end 32 of the studare reduced and the threaded lower end 32 takes into the thread edopening in a base block 35 in the form of a small casting, the end 32being of a length to extend through said base block 35 and into thepermanent structure of the elevator well, which usually, in a modernstructure, will be a metal beam, while the upper end 31 receives a nut33 which may be secured by a cotter 34 whereby to positively preventdisplacement of the latch on its pivot stud 30. The base has an upwardlyextending flange 36, the rear face of which is grooved to receive thespring 16, the latter being secured by any suitable means as by a screw16 I provide suitable means to limit the rocle ing movement of the latch12 so that the long arm thereof will not, from any can e, moverearwardly into the clearance provided for the elevator car. In thepresent instance the stop consists of a vertical pin 37 in the base 35.

It will be observed that my improved at tachment may be readily appliedto any structure and adjusted to any structural peculiarities thereof;moreover, repairs may be readily made without suspending the elevatorservice for any material length of time.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is: j

1. In. a safety device for elevators, a rack adapted to be rigidlysecured to an elevator door to range transversely at the inner sidethereof, a latch bar, and means to pivotall secure the latch bar betweenthe ends thereof, in the elevator well at the front, one arm of the saidlatch being the longer and having a forwardly disposed pawl to engagethe door rack, and a spring acting on the latch bar and tending toengage the pawl with the rack, the shorter arm of the latch bar beingextended rearwardly to range in the direction of the rear wall of anelevator well between the adjacent side wall of the well and the space,for the elevator car, said rearward extension having an offset returnedmember disposed in the same general direction as the latch bar andterminating in a member to be tripped by a car in opposition to thespring, to disengage the pawl from the rack.

I 2. In a safety device for elevator doors, an elongated rack baradapted to be rigidly secured to an elevator door to range transverselythereon at the inner side; a latch bar; means to pivotally mount thelatch between the ends thereof, in an elevator well at the front,adjacent to a landing, to range lengthwise with the rack, said latchhaving a long arm formed with a pawl; and a spring co-acting with thelatch and tending to engage the pawl with the rack; the other arm of thesaid latch being straight with the first arm and shorter, and offsetrearwardly to lie at the side of an elevator car,

the rear end of said shorter arm being returned laterally in an inwarddirection and. 5

having a terminal adapted to be tripped by an elevator car at the sideto rock the latch in opposition to the spring and disengage the pawl, topermit the door rack to move freely past the pawl.

3. The combination with an elevator shaft or well, a transverselysliding door therein, and an elevator car, of a safety means to controlthe said door, said means comprising a transverse rack on the door atthe inner side, an elongated latch bar, rockably mounted at the front ofthe well and rang ing transversely of the latter, the said latch barpresenting a longer and a shorter arm, the longer arm having a pawladapted to engage the rack to hold the door against movement, theshorter arm of the latch having an offset returnedmember disposedbetween the adjacent side wall of the well and the space for the travelof the car, there being a spring acting on the latch and tending toengage the pawl with the rack, the said car having a trip member adaptedto engage and trip the said returned member of the latch to rock thelatter in opposition to the spring and thereby disengage the pawl.

The combination of an elevator. shaft or well, a transversely slidingdoor therein and an elevator car, of a safety means to control saiddoor, comprising a transversely disposed rack on the door at the innerside, an elongated latch bar rockably mounted at the front of the welland ranging transversely of the latter, the said latch bar having alonger arm formed with a pawl to engage the rack, and with a shorter armdisposed at the rear of the first arm between the adjacent side wall ofthe well and the space for the travel of the car, said shorter armhaving a member extending into the path of movement of the adjacent sidesurface of the car to be tripped by the latter.

5. In a safety device for elevator doors, a rack adapted to be securedto anelevator door to range transversely at the inner side thereof, anelongated latch bar, means to pivotally mount the latch bar between itsends in an elevator well, a spring pressing on said latch bar, one armof the bar having a pawl adapted to engage the rack, the'other arm ofthe bar being returned and offset in the rear of the first arm, to bereceived in an elevator well at a side of the car, the second arm ofthebar being extensible lengthwise of the bar and transversely thereof.

6. In a safety device for elevator doors, a, rack adapted to be securedto an elevator door to range transversely at the inner side thereof, anelongated latch bar, means to pivotally mount the latch bar between itsends in an elevator well, a spring pressing on said latch bar, one armof the bar having a pawl adapted to engage the rack, the

other arm of the latch having an angular member adjustably securedthereto, said angular member presenting a downward eX- tensionterminating in a trip member disposed in the same general direction asthe first arm of the latchto be tripped by an elevator car for rockingthe latch against the pressure of the spring and disengaging the pawl.

7. In a safety device for elevator doors, a rack adapted to besecured tothe elevator door to range transversely at the inner side thereof, anelongated latch bar having a hub between the ends thereof, the said hubpresenting a vertical through-bore, the latch at one side of the hubpresenting an arm constituting a pawl and the latch at the opposite sidepresenting an arm to be tripped by an elevator car, a base on which thehub of the latch seats, a vertical stud having threaded ends, and havingan intermediate unthreaded portion fitting the bore of the latch hub,the lower end of the stud taking into the said base, retaining means toprevent displacement of the latch on the hub while permitting it torock, and a spring held on the base and acting on the latch to engagethe pawl with the rack.

V In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification inthe presence of two subscribing witnesses.

, CHARLES O. MARX. Witnesses:

ELEANOR SPITZFADEN, AUGUST F. ENGELHARDT, J r.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G.

